What is creative writing? Creating writing, according to Wikipedia, is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature. It can be anything from a poem to a short story. If you are interested in improving your creative writing skills as a poet or author, here a five tips for how to improve your creative writing skills.

1. Read books and poetry more often.

I get it. Reading can be boring and tedious. It takes time and energy to pick up a book and flip it open, but the knowledge you will learn from reading a book is priceless. Reading another person’s work can teach you how to write and even how not to write. From reading, you can learn which point of view you like to write in, what types of poetry you like, how to form a character, or even simply you can learn a name you like for a character. The lessons are endless. If you are looking for a good book or poem to read, here are two lists of books and poets I think everyone could enjoy:

*Books:

(If you like Fantasy)

–The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

–The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

(If you like Classics)

–The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

–Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

(If you like Romance)

–Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

–The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

*Poets to look up:

(If you like more modern poetry)

–Shel Silverstein

–Bo Burnham

(If you like classic poetry)

–Lord Alfred Tennyson

–Edgar Allen Poe

2. Practice writing.

Not everything you write  has to be a finished product. Here are some exercises you can do to practice writing:

1. Write a six word story.

*Examples:

-Turned down a promotion for love.

-Took a road trip across country.

-I fell in love last summer.

2. Search for writing prompts online. Here are some good websites to visit for writing prompts: Write World, alloftheprompts, and ablockforwritersblock.
3. Play a game of writing telephone. If you are with a friend, have them write down the first sentence of a story and then write down the next sentence of the story. Keep going back and forth and see where the story goes.

3. If you are ever in the middle of writing and you find yourself having writer’s block; take a break. Watch some TV, listen to some music, or even go on a walk. You may find inspiration for your next piece of work when you least expect it.

If you follow these few tips and practice, you will notice a significant change in the quality of your writing in time. Write on!